Finally someone that can give an explanation to someone who just perches a home with a pool, I have been looking all over UA-cam for someone to give explanation how a pool works…..(Thank you Thank you Sir)
Thank you so much. We just bought a house with a in ground pool. Called a pool company for the pool assessment and was told we needed a new pump. We purchased a new variable speed pump installed it and they didn’t explain any of this or how to adjust the valves or what the pressure gage should be on the filter. We have purchased hundreds of dollars in pool chemicals because apparently our valves are not set correctly and the chemicals just clog up in the skimmers with the Chlorine pucks. So I came to UA-cam and thank goodness you made this video. Hopefully, adjusting the valves will fix the issue with the skimmers and cloudy water because if not, I’m ready to just shut it down and close it for the year.
Thank you for this easy to follow breakdown of the pool system. I am taking the initiative to learn about pool operations for my job and this really helps. Subscribing now and hope to get more awesome training.
Thank you for sharing such simplified examples of how a water pump system for a swimming pool. I was wondering about the range most residential water pumps provide guided water preasure of? How much? Would two pumps improve suction?
You are welcome! The normal filter pressure range in the pools we service would be in the range of 13-18 psi. It all depends on how the piping is run and the HP of the pool pump. Two pumps to circulate the water in a normal 20-30K gallon pool is not necessary. One pump sized correctly should be able to circulate all of your water each day.
Gallons per minute is a better way to measure water flow provided by a pool pump than pressure. A flow meter is inexpensive and easily installed with just a drill and screwdriver
Love the video. This is the first video that I have come across that explains with a diagram. I simply love it. One question - I don’t see the cleaning part in the diagram. Do you have a video that shows how the cleaning works ?
Thank you for this demonstration, I work with my dad in pools and spas, great guy but sometimes explaining isn’t his strong suit 😂 this is a great video. Thank you
Very good and lot of instructions there for people like me who's just starting to learn about pools. I get the basic but how do I know which valve is which? They are not labeled for my pool plumbing.
This was incredibly helpful. My spa overflows into the pool - when it is filtering the pool. However, right now, when I have selected the spa, it is still overflowing and the two values are on spa mode (they both shifted to spa when selected from the compool unit). Thoughts? Also, which valve stops it from overflowing - would that be the Suction Side?
If the spa is still overflowing in spa mode, the suction valve, in front of the pump, did not turn as it needed to. It's still pulling from the pool then sending it to the spa making it continue to overflow.
I'm not really sure on that. I would suggest talking to some pool builders and see if their pool design software, like Pool Studio, designs the plumbing for you depending on what features you put on the pool. Hope that helps.
Great video! Is it better to immediately divide the return side into separate lines as soon as they come out the sanitation system, or maintain one line for all returns, and only break off when necessary closer towards the pool?
Usually they are broken into separate lines like spa return, water feature return, etc. at equipment pad. The one that is the pool return line runs towards pool then splits off when it nears the pool structure.
If you split the return lines at the pad you will need 3-4 times more length of pipe. Split them closer to the pool for less complexity at the pad and cost savings
Thank you so much for this explanation! What would cause the spa water level to go down when you turn the jets on? I can't tell if it means wrong valve setting (hopefully easy fix) or a malfunctioning part (costly fix). Appreciate any guidance.
The RETURN side actuator valve on an automated system didn't turn to cut off the pool and send the water to the spa. So the pump is pulling water from the spa and sending it to the pool instead of back to the spa. Also a variable speed pump on a low speed may slowly lower the spa, so make sure the pump is up on at least 75% when in spa mode.
nice video. I hope you can bring this diagram walk us through the actual pool system so that we can understand how they look like in real world. It’s great video though
Please produce a video explaining how a passive pool overflow system works. Skimmers have two holes in the bottom, one pipes to the pool pump while the other pipes to the outside of the pool deck and ends above the ground. I assume the top of the overflow pipe should be set at exactly the maximum height you ever want the level of the water in your pool to reach. I have forgotten to turn off my water hose when adding water to my pool but the water has never overflowed over my coping. It was always a mystery to me where the secret overflow hole was located. As it turns out, after the pool resurfacing contractor workers accidentally filled my skimmer with concrete and had to dig out and replace the skimmer, we discovered the overflow hole at the bottom of the skimmer had a screw-in plug sealing it off. Upon further inspection we noted the 1.5 inch pipe beneath the skimmer overflow hole was broken in half. The pool was built in 2000 and I purchased the home in 2003, so sometime during the first 3 years the overflow pipe broke and they abandoned the overflow pipe system by plugging the hole in the bottom of the skimmer. They also installed a cap on the 1.5 inch overflow pipe that is sticking up out of the ground beside my pool. Because that pipe was capped, I have never in 20 years wondered what it was. I'm scratching my head because it appears to me that the top of the overflow pipe outside my pool deck is HIGHER than the top of my pool. How was the pool ever going to overflow out the overflow drain instead of over the coping if the overflow pipe is above the coping? Now I'm trying to figure out at what height to a cut the overflow pipe on the outside of the pool? Furthermore, should the pipe just be wide open for debris to fall in? Or, should the pipe have some sort of drain cover on top? Or, should the drain pipe top have a pvc 90 elbow? Inquiring minds want to know. Thank you!
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 I ended up guessing how high is the maximum water level for my pool based on the top of the skimmer hole. Not the tiled skimmer hole on the pool side, but the skimmer hole built into the plastic skimmer itself. Without guidance from a professional, I just had to choose a maximum height for the water in my pool. First, inside my plastic skimmer, I measured the distance between my current pool water level and the top of the skimmer hole built into the skimmer. In my case, that was about 1.25 inches. Next, I looked down into my 1.5 inch pvc pipe overflow outside of my pool deck which was about 6 inches into my grass yard. I dug around that pvc pipe to give myself room to work. Next I measured down the inside of the pipe to the top of the water in the pipe. Then I used that measurement to mark the water level on the outside of the pvc pipe. Using my battery powered hacksaw, I cut off the pvc pipe just above the water line. Knowing the top of the overflow pipe must be exactly the maximum height of the water level in my pool, I only had no more than 1.25 inches to work with. Finding no drain cover to fit a 1.5 inch pvc pipe, I purchased a 2 inch drain cover that fit inside a 2 inch schedule 40 pvc pipe. I purchased a reducer to connect my 1.5 inch overflow pipe to the 2 inch pvc pipe which has my 2 inch drain cover pressed inside the end of the 2 inch pipe. The reducer fitting was just more than 1 inch in height after compensating for the two pipes fitting inside the reducer fitting. In my case, the length of 2 inch pvc pipe I used was exactly the length that would fit inside the reducer fitting, or about a half inch ring of 2 inch pvc pipe. My challenge now is to make sure I have room for rain water to drain from around my new relatively low overflow drain top, because the top of my overflow drain is now about the same level of my ground soil on the outside of my pool deck.
Thank you for the awesome demo, just a question, is there a code that requires a water filter after a pump? I told the owner i dont know if there is a code, and if that requires it, all i know is the pump has basket strainer, so technically my opinion you dont need it?
Yes you do. Filtration though a filter is needed to filter out impuraties and some micro organism, etc. The pump basket only catches leaves, grass and seeds. You must have a filter on a swimming pool. I falls under the health department coding.
@@wangbungal Should be able to get info from your county health department about information governing commercial pool sanitation guidelines. These same guidelines about sanitation and filtration would also be applicable to residential pools.
First time pool owner here. Mine has a booster pump. Where does this fit in the diagram? Your explanation really helped. Thanks. Any info would be great.
Glad it helped! A booster pump runs a pressure cleaner like a polaris 280. It gets it's source water from pipes after the filter and sends the water directly to the cleaner. The cleaner runs off of water moving turbines and gears inside the cleaner.
Does the spa ever operate from sucked in air from the outside pipes sticking out of the ground. Or what are those pipes for sticking out of the ground ?
Air bubbles can be drawn into the spa jet returns through pipes and usually adjustment knobs on the top of the coping around the spa. That was the old way of doing it. Now most builders will just install a spa air blower on a pipe over by the equipment pushing air directly into the spa return line jets.
Those pipes used to be required on older pools to break suction in the event a person was entrapped by the main drain. The new codes instead require a safety cover on a single drain or twin drains several feet apart
The flow of the water comes into the front of the main pump and then goes through the filter, then through the heater if there is one, then back to the pool. So point the arrow of stickers if you are marking the pipes in the appropriate direction.
Sand, Cartridge and DE filters standing for (diatomaceous earth filters). You get the best filtration from DE filters, next is cartridge, last is sand filters.
The suction on a polaris pump is the same, suction in front and discharge out the top of pump. The polaris pump suction will be plumbed in on the return side of the system after the pool filter.
Yes. On the suction side the water enters the pool pump always from the front of the pump and then out the top of the pump to push it to the filter next, then on down the line.
The spa bubbler is just extra water being pushed from the main pump to the spa. Or if you have a separate air blower, it pushes air though the pipes to add fun bubbles directly into the spa.
I am draining my pool to waste. From the main drain. It is draining but water is coming back into the pool constantly at the same time through the return valves Why is it doing that. It will never finish draining like this
Hey my pool pump keeps turning on but then it all shut off after about 15-20 minutes and then I'll come back on an hour or 2 later. The power supply to the pump itself is never lost. What do you think it is a capacitor? Thanks in advance.
Probably a bad motor drawing more amperage and overheating. It may be drawing more amperage due to the bearings going out or shaft corroding making it drag internally.
Finally someone that can give an explanation to someone who just perches a home with a pool, I have been looking all over UA-cam for someone to give explanation how a pool works…..(Thank you Thank you Sir)
Sure thing, glad to help!
Thank you for making this. The simplest, most comprehensive video I have found so far!
You're very welcome!
This is awesome information for a new pool owner to have. Thanks for taking the time to produce and post!
Our pleasure!
Nicely done, we never stop learning.
Great! Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much. We just bought a house with a in ground pool. Called a pool company for the pool assessment and was told we needed a new pump. We purchased a new variable speed pump installed it and they didn’t explain any of this or how to adjust the valves or what the pressure gage should be on the filter. We have purchased hundreds of dollars in pool chemicals because apparently our valves are not set correctly and the chemicals just clog up in the skimmers with the Chlorine pucks. So I came to UA-cam and thank goodness you made this video. Hopefully, adjusting the valves will fix the issue with the skimmers and cloudy water because if not, I’m ready to just shut it down and close it for the year.
Glad it was helpful in helping understand how the pool should operate!
I am new to our pool and this was incredibly easy to understand and very helpful! Thanks!
You are so welcome!
Excellent video and really speeds my understanding. Keep up these videos.
Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback! Will do!
Very informative and helpful, thank you!
You're very welcome!
Thank you for this breakdown. Helps me to understand the Jandy Valves
Glad it was helpful!
Great video man!!!!! Gave me a clear understanding. Appreciate it!
Awesome, thank you!
Holy [bleep]!! One of the most useful pool video I've watched (and I've watched dozens). I've learned so much about my pool.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing! The video is simple basics but very informative. I have better understanding of how pool water filters and circulates.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this easy to follow breakdown of the pool system. I am taking the initiative to learn about pool operations for my job and this really helps. Subscribing now and hope to get more awesome training.
Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad it was helpful!
Good for you hope you succeed
@@toadaytomorrow8029 Yep!
Thank you for your video. Very simple and helpful for beginners like me.
Glad to hear that!
Thank you for making this easy to understand.
You're very welcome! Consider a SUPER THANKS!!!
Awesome video thank you!
Glad you liked it! My pleasure!
Thanks for demonstration,God bless you.
You are so welcome!
Block Diagrams always get it done. Great video for a pool rookie.... Thanks!!!!
Ha Ha, thanks! I can't really draw to save my life, so that's the best drawings I could do. Glad it was understandable.
Thank you for this video. Very helpful
You are welcome!
Super helpful - thanks!
You're welcome!
Very good explanation! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks a lot for this informative session. could you please make a brief of the electrical wiring for the swimming pool! Much appreciation 🌷
Consult an electrician for that.
Very helpfull video,thank you very much for this.
You are welcome!
thank you very helpful information and well explained
You are welcome!
Very helpful, thanks so much
You're welcome!!!
Really clear. Thanks!
Great to hear!
Thanks... that'll help in my new pool maintenance job ..
Wonderful, glad to help!
Thank you very very much for teaching me Jacob
My pleasure!
Thank you for sharing such simplified examples of how a water pump system for a swimming pool.
I was wondering about the range most residential water pumps provide guided water preasure of? How much?
Would two pumps improve suction?
You are welcome! The normal filter pressure range in the pools we service would be in the range of 13-18 psi. It all depends on how the piping is run and the HP of the pool pump. Two pumps to circulate the water in a normal 20-30K gallon pool is not necessary. One pump sized correctly should be able to circulate all of your water each day.
Gallons per minute is a better way to measure water flow provided by a pool pump than pressure. A flow meter is inexpensive and easily installed with just a drill and screwdriver
thank you! very useful
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Love the video. This is the first video that I have come across that explains with a diagram. I simply love it. One question - I don’t see the cleaning part in the diagram. Do you have a video that shows how the cleaning works ?
I have another video to show how to vacuum a pool if that's what you mean. ua-cam.com/video/fi_okBK_w5Y/v-deo.html
Thanks for this video,it was really helpful
You're welcome!
Fantastic video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great explanation!
Glad you think so!
So informative, thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Well done, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks today after watching your video I came to know how pool system works
Happy to help!
Excellent teacher
Glad you think so! Thank you!
Nice video sir..am doing my pool project now and you have given me a full package of understanding..
Wonderful!!!
Thank you for this demonstration, I work with my dad in pools and spas, great guy but sometimes explaining isn’t his strong suit 😂 this is a great video. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
😂 dads...
Thank you such a good explanation
Glad it was helpful!
excellent. easy to follow and get hand dirty with pool&spas
Thanks!
simple and perfect
Wonderful, glad it helped!
Thank you!!!
You're welcome! Glad it helped!
Thank you sir very informative for us...
Most welcome!
Thank you for this vídeo .
You are welcome!
Thank you that was great
Glad it was helpful!
Very good and lot of instructions there for people like me who's just starting to learn about pools. I get the basic but how do I know which valve is which? They are not labeled for my pool plumbing.
Suction side is in front of the pump. Return side is after filter and heater.
This was incredibly helpful. My spa overflows into the pool - when it is filtering the pool. However, right now, when I have selected the spa, it is still overflowing and the two values are on spa mode (they both shifted to spa when selected from the compool unit). Thoughts? Also, which valve stops it from overflowing - would that be the Suction Side?
If the spa is still overflowing in spa mode, the suction valve, in front of the pump, did not turn as it needed to. It's still pulling from the pool then sending it to the spa making it continue to overflow.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 Thank you for this response! You were right!!
@@stevrichwb Great! Glad it's working now!
Thank you for this incredible video! My wife and I are purchasing a 12*30 fiberglass pool. It comes with 1 skimmer. Do you think we need two?
You are welcome. Probably not on the 2 skimmers unless you have a lot of trees in your backyard.
Which program do you recommend to study to design the plumbing of pools? I cant find anyone talking about it.. thanks a lot for your video
I'm not really sure on that. I would suggest talking to some pool builders and see if their pool design software, like Pool Studio, designs the plumbing for you depending on what features you put on the pool. Hope that helps.
Big thanks
You're welcome!
Nice Vid - Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Is it better to immediately divide the return side into separate lines as soon as they come out the sanitation system, or maintain one line for all returns, and only break off when necessary closer towards the pool?
Usually they are broken into separate lines like spa return, water feature return, etc. at equipment pad. The one that is the pool return line runs towards pool then splits off when it nears the pool structure.
Thank you so much for the reply!
@@KevinSpindola Sure thing!
If you split the return lines at the pad you will need 3-4 times more length of pipe. Split them closer to the pool for less complexity at the pad and cost savings
Thank you so much for this explanation!
What would cause the spa water level to go down when you turn the jets on? I can't tell if it means wrong valve setting (hopefully easy fix) or a malfunctioning part (costly fix). Appreciate any guidance.
The RETURN side actuator valve on an automated system didn't turn to cut off the pool and send the water to the spa. So the pump is pulling water from the spa and sending it to the pool instead of back to the spa. Also a variable speed pump on a low speed may slowly lower the spa, so make sure the pump is up on at least 75% when in spa mode.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 Thank you for that insight. I was clueless but your video and the answer now make complete sense of what might be going on!
@@mpcollection353 Sure thing!
nice video. I hope you can bring this diagram walk us through the actual pool system so that we can understand how they look like in real world. It’s great video though
Thanks.
Please produce a video explaining how a passive pool overflow system works. Skimmers have two holes in the bottom, one pipes to the pool pump while the other pipes to the outside of the pool deck and ends above the ground. I assume the top of the overflow pipe should be set at exactly the maximum height you ever want the level of the water in your pool to reach. I have forgotten to turn off my water hose when adding water to my pool but the water has never overflowed over my coping. It was always a mystery to me where the secret overflow hole was located. As it turns out, after the pool resurfacing contractor workers accidentally filled my skimmer with concrete and had to dig out and replace the skimmer, we discovered the overflow hole at the bottom of the skimmer had a screw-in plug sealing it off. Upon further inspection we noted the 1.5 inch pipe beneath the skimmer overflow hole was broken in half. The pool was built in 2000 and I purchased the home in 2003, so sometime during the first 3 years the overflow pipe broke and they abandoned the overflow pipe system by plugging the hole in the bottom of the skimmer. They also installed a cap on the 1.5 inch overflow pipe that is sticking up out of the ground beside my pool. Because that pipe was capped, I have never in 20 years wondered what it was. I'm scratching my head because it appears to me that the top of the overflow pipe outside my pool deck is HIGHER than the top of my pool. How was the pool ever going to overflow out the overflow drain instead of over the coping if the overflow pipe is above the coping? Now I'm trying to figure out at what height to a cut the overflow pipe on the outside of the pool? Furthermore, should the pipe just be wide open for debris to fall in? Or, should the pipe have some sort of drain cover on top? Or, should the drain pipe top have a pvc 90 elbow? Inquiring minds want to know. Thank you!
Interesting.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 I ended up guessing how high is the maximum water level for my pool based on the top of the skimmer hole. Not the tiled skimmer hole on the pool side, but the skimmer hole built into the plastic skimmer itself. Without guidance from a professional, I just had to choose a maximum height for the water in my pool. First, inside my plastic skimmer, I measured the distance between my current pool water level and the top of the skimmer hole built into the skimmer. In my case, that was about 1.25 inches. Next, I looked down into my 1.5 inch pvc pipe overflow outside of my pool deck which was about 6 inches into my grass yard. I dug around that pvc pipe to give myself room to work. Next I measured down the inside of the pipe to the top of the water in the pipe. Then I used that measurement to mark the water level on the outside of the pvc pipe. Using my battery powered hacksaw, I cut off the pvc pipe just above the water line. Knowing the top of the overflow pipe must be exactly the maximum height of the water level in my pool, I only had no more than 1.25 inches to work with. Finding no drain cover to fit a 1.5 inch pvc pipe, I purchased a 2 inch drain cover that fit inside a 2 inch schedule 40 pvc pipe. I purchased a reducer to connect my 1.5 inch overflow pipe to the 2 inch pvc pipe which has my 2 inch drain cover pressed inside the end of the 2 inch pipe. The reducer fitting was just more than 1 inch in height after compensating for the two pipes fitting inside the reducer fitting. In my case, the length of 2 inch pvc pipe I used was exactly the length that would fit inside the reducer fitting, or about a half inch ring of 2 inch pvc pipe. My challenge now is to make sure I have room for rain water to drain from around my new relatively low overflow drain top, because the top of my overflow drain is now about the same level of my ground soil on the outside of my pool deck.
great Vid. do you connect all the returns together?
The returns will go out on 1 or 2 return lines and split out to have a return pipe going to each return jet as the pipes curve around the pool.
very useful
Glad you think so!
Thank you for the awesome demo, just a question, is there a code that requires a water filter after a pump? I told the owner i dont know if there is a code, and if that requires it, all i know is the pump has basket strainer, so technically my opinion you dont need it?
Yes you do. Filtration though a filter is needed to filter out impuraties and some micro organism, etc. The pump basket only catches leaves, grass and seeds. You must have a filter on a swimming pool. I falls under the health department coding.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 where woudl that kind of information for health coding be found? Im in Florida would that be Florida Building code?
@@wangbungal Should be able to get info from your county health department about information governing commercial pool sanitation guidelines. These same guidelines about sanitation and filtration would also be applicable to residential pools.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 No. The requirements for commercial (public/municipal) pools are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
First time pool owner here. Mine has a booster pump. Where does this fit in the diagram? Your explanation really helped. Thanks. Any info would be great.
Glad it helped! A booster pump runs a pressure cleaner like a polaris 280. It gets it's source water from pipes after the filter and sends the water directly to the cleaner. The cleaner runs off of water moving turbines and gears inside the cleaner.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441
Thank you. Very helpful.
@@rubencastillo2506 Sure thing.
@@rubencastillo2506 Sure thing!
What a fantastic video. It answered all my questions about the system in a simple and direct fashion. Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Thanks for the feedback, glad it helped!
Does the spa ever operate from sucked in air from the outside pipes sticking out of the ground. Or what are those pipes for sticking out of the ground ?
Air bubbles can be drawn into the spa jet returns through pipes and usually adjustment knobs on the top of the coping around the spa. That was the old way of doing it. Now most builders will just install a spa air blower on a pipe over by the equipment pushing air directly into the spa return line jets.
Those pipes used to be required on older pools to break suction in the event a person was entrapped by the main drain. The new codes instead require a safety cover on a single drain or twin drains several feet apart
Which way should the arrow on the flow switch point? Toward the return side? Thanks!
The flow of the water comes into the front of the main pump and then goes through the filter, then through the heater if there is one, then back to the pool. So point the arrow of stickers if you are marking the pipes in the appropriate direction.
Good day, how many type of fitters do we have and which one is the best.
Sand, Cartridge and DE filters standing for (diatomaceous earth filters). You get the best filtration from DE filters, next is cartridge, last is sand filters.
return can go in one pipe to all return holes?
That's the way it's usually plumbed.
How about when you have a Polaris sweeper? How are the suction and discharge plumbed?
The suction on a polaris pump is the same, suction in front and discharge out the top of pump. The polaris pump suction will be plumbed in on the return side of the system after the pool filter.
Does the spa not need a skimmer basket?
No it flows through the main pump.
Is there a motor at the suction side?
Yes. On the suction side the water enters the pool pump always from the front of the pump and then out the top of the pump to push it to the filter next, then on down the line.
The motor (impeller) is the interface between the suction and the pressure side
What are the diameter of pipes to be installed in each lines...
Usually 2" PVC pipes for residential pools.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 thanks for info... 🙂
@@Civil_Engineer_to_Farmer_Soon Sure thing.
Why the filter isn’t first before the pump?
The pump pushes the water through the filter.
how does spa bubbler work next vid pls
The spa bubbler is just extra water being pushed from the main pump to the spa. Or if you have a separate air blower, it pushes air though the pipes to add fun bubbles directly into the spa.
trying to build my own pool . Wish me luck
Nice! You go for it!!!
I am draining my pool to waste. From the main drain. It is draining but water is coming back into the pool constantly at the same time through the return valves Why is it doing that. It will never finish draining like this
Your filter valve gasket is faulty allowing water to the return lines.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 where is that gasket
@@melaniewillis8332 in the valve attached to the filter where you turned the selector to Waste.
@@truelightpoolsllc4441 thank you so much
@@melaniewillis8332 Sure thing.
Hey my pool pump keeps turning on but then it all shut off after about 15-20 minutes and then I'll come back on an hour or 2 later. The power supply to the pump itself is never lost. What do you think it is a capacitor? Thanks in advance.
Probably a bad motor drawing more amperage and overheating. It may be drawing more amperage due to the bearings going out or shaft corroding making it drag internally.